Formed in the wake of the Jacobin Reign of Terror’s bloody guillotine, the Directoire was established to lead France into order through the leadership of a five-member council of directors. It was brief, lasting only from 1795 to 1799, ending with Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, and was economically tumultuous. Yet it was an essential bridge between the era of Louis XVI and the elaborate Empire style that followed, with Directoire furniture and decorative arts shaped by a royal passion for classical design and an enthusiasm for postrevolutionary France.
Much of the country’s furniture production had halted during the French Revolution when the furniture guilds system was abolished, but during the Directoire period, the cabinetmakers restarted their businesses, such as François-Honoré-Georges and Jacob-Desmalter who established a new workshop called Jacob-Frères. Pieces made in walnut, elm, mahogany and other inexpensive materials incorporated influences ranging from Egypt to Pompeii, with popular forms including the curule armchair based on an ancient Roman design. The aesthetics of the transitional style were more austere than during the monarchy, with court cabinetmaker Jean-Baptiste Sené, for instance, reimagining his workshop’s neoclassical-style furniture with ungilded surfaces and a reduction of ornamentation.
Symbols referencing the revolutionary tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity were frequently carved into Directoire furnishings, such as the Phrygian cap, clasped hands and the fasces, which is an image of a bound bundle of sticks adopted from the Roman Republic, where it was seen as an emblem of strength through unity.
Elements of the French Directoire style continued through Empire style. Designers Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine are credited today as major proponents of both movements. The classically inspired furniture design is represented in pieces such as the boat-shaped daybed and the klismos chair, which endured in French interiors as well as in styles abroad, including American Directoire.
Find a collection of antique Directoire chairs, tables, daybeds, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$8,900 / set
French Directoire Unique Fireplace Split Canape
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautifully designed French Directoire canape highlighted with paint and water gilding.
Wood
$7,200Sale Price|40% Off
Maison Jansen Rare Silver Leaf Settee in Black Raw Silk, France, 1950s, Signed
Located in New York, NY
Maison Jansen rare signed Directoire-style silver-leaf settee with antiqued finish and black raw silk upholstery, France, 1950s. Exceptionally elegant and beautifully proportioned, t...
Silk, Wood
Danish 1940s Settee with Open Armrests in Cuban Mahogany
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Superb Danish settee from the late 1940's or early 1950s with coil springs in the seat and beautiful open armrests and legs carved in solid Stained Cuban Mahogany with great grain an...
Wool, West Indian Mahogany
$3,750
H 30.75 in W 64 in D 28 in
Danish 1950s Settee or Loveseat in Green Wool in the Style of Peter Hvidt
By Peter Hvidt
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Classic and very elegant lines very much in the style of the early Danish iconic Designer, Peter Hvidt made circa 1950. Back and seat nice and firm and frame on Cuban mahogany legs r...
Wool, Mahogany
Danish 1960s Midcentury Settee in Teak and Leather
By France & Daverkosen, Tove & Edvard Kindt-Larsen
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Beautiful and elegant small 1950s easy style Danish settee with the frame, legs and armrests in solid teak. Very high design quality and workmanship. The piece is unmarked but the de...
Teak, Leather
$3,750
H 32.5 in W 57 in D 27.5 in
Danish 1950s Settee with Wooden Armrest by Orla Mølgaard Amber Colored Frame
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Beautiful and very elegant Danish 1950s settee raised on a amber colored beech frame and legs. Attributed to Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. We love how the armrests continue into the front l...
Wool, Beech
$2,850
H 30.5 in W 48.5 in D 33.5 in
1950s Paul McCobb for Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Loveseat Settee or Sofa
By Paul McCobb
Located in St. Louis, MO
Paul McCobb for Planner Group loveseat, settee or sofa. Upholstery needs to be updated as it has stains, foam is good. Price includes refinishing of legs. Measures: Seat 16" H, arm 1...
Upholstery, Wood
$12,500
H 32 in W 56 in D 40 in
Rare Restored Museum Quality 3-Strand Rattan Settee, Paul Laszlo for Ficks Reed
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Restored original 1948 Paul Laszlo designed three-strand sectional settee featuring three-strand staple-shaped arms and arched bases made by Ficks Reed furniture company. This stunni...
Rattan
$9,500Sale Price|24% Off
H 26.5 in W 51 in D 27.5 in
'LC2' Black Leather Settee Sofa Loveseat by Le Corbusier for Cassina, Signed
By Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Cassina
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This incredibly comfortable Le Corbusier for Cassina 'LC2' two-seat loveseat sofa, signed (see pics, in gorgeous thick Italian black leather on chrome steel frame is in beautiful vin...
Steel
19th Century Italian Diminutive Painted Settee in Tan Leather
Located in Essex, MA
19th Century French Louis XVI Parcel-Gilt & Painted Marquise Settee with Leather Upholstery & Nailhead Trim. 19th-century, diminutive-size Italian painted classical settee covered in...
Wood
$19,900Sale Price|28% Off
H 32 in W 48 in D 30 in
Rare Settee by Gio Ponti for Cassina, Refinished and Reupholstered, Italy 1950s
An exceptionally rare and coveted settee by Gio Ponti for Cassina, circa 1950s, with reupholstered white bouclé fabric cushions, refinished elm frames with incredible wood grain, sig...
Bouclé, Elm
$10,900Sale Price|22% Off
H 28 in W 54 in D 28 in
PK-31 Settee by Poul Kjærholm for E. Kold Christensen, 1960s Denmark, Signed
By Poul Kjærholm, E. Kold Christensen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This highly collected early production original of the PK-31 loveseat sofa by Poul Kjærholm for E. Kold Christensen has beautifully aged black leather and patinated steel. Designed...
Steel
Vintage Brighton Pavilion Pagoda Loveseat, Bamboo & Rattan, 1950s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Charming Brighton Pavillion Pagoda style loveseat with beautiful fretwork back and sides. Very fine detail. A beautiful and special piece. Use as is or ad...
Bamboo, Rattan
Rare Egyptian Revival Ebony and Inlaid Settee, Late 19th Century
Located in Southampton, NY
Egyptian Revival ebony and inlaid settee, late 19th century "Of architectural form with geometric borders and inlaid with fruitwoods, ivory, mother of pearl and wire, the carved giltwood cresting rail in the form of serpents centred by a tablet inlaid with a winged bird, probably the symbol of the Egyptian Goddess, Nekhbet, clutching a payrus stalk, the padded back between two moulded cartouches depicting Horus and Iris, the arm supports in the form of Canopic jars surmounted by the head of Anubis, with a padded seat and shaped legs terminating in paw feet. Measures: 26" deep x 56" wide x 45.5" high x 18" seat height In the nineteenth century, the Egyptian Revival became fashionable following the Napoleonic campaigns in Egypt with the publication of Voyage (1802) by Vivant Denon...
Wire
Maxwell Royal Settee
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A tall and sculptural settee with tapered wood arms and back, often attributed to Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Designed by Maxwell Royal in the 1950's. Hig...
Upholstery, Wood
$5,895
H 38 in W 55.5 in D 33.25 in
Fine Paint Decorated Gilt Over Red Bole Green Silk Maison Jansen Attr. Settee
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
**Maison Jansen (Attributed) French Directoire Style Painted and Gilt Settee, Circa 1920s** This exquisite **paint-decorated and gilt-accented French Directoire style settee** is attributed to the legendary Parisian design house **Maison Jansen**, founded in 1880 by Jean-Henri Jansen. Elegantly proportioned, the piece features a beautifully carved beechwood frame with subtle **gilded detailing**, fluted legs, and neoclassical motifs emblematic of the Directoire period. The frame is finished in a refined cream paint with warm gilt highlights and red accents, while the upholstery—**luxurious pale green and ivory striped silk**—evokes timeless sophistication. The settee’s straight lines, scroll arm supports, and finely carved floral rosettes perfectly capture the **neoclassical symmetry and understated grandeur** that define both Directoire design and the Maison Jansen aesthetic. Renowned for blending classical elegance with modern refinement, **Maison Jansen** created interiors for the world’s elite, including **Elsie de Wolfe, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Jacqueline Kennedy for the White House**. This remarkable settee embodies the grace, quality, and artistry for which **Maison Jansen** became synonymous, making it a statement piece for any collector or connoisseur of fine French furniture. Cushion may be goose down filled. Split in upholstery can be repaired by an upholsterer. Measures 55.5 wide x 38 tall x 33.25 deep x seat height of 21 tall **Keywords:** Maison Jansen settee, French Directoire furniture...
Silk, Walnut, Giltwood
Art Deco Settee, France, circa 1920s
By Paul Follot
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Very pretty Art Deco loveseat or sofa. The wood structure is carved with a rope and tassel decor on a fluted background, and painted in the original green/blue color, with details pi...
Velvet, Wood
Italian Directoire Green and Gilt Painted Parcel-Gilt Sofa
Located in Essex, MA
Directoire style green and gilt painted parcel-gilt sofa with elegantly curved back ending in flared corners. Sabre legs and exquisite carving and parcel-gilt throughout. Flared arms ending in scrolled ends with exquisite parcel-gilt foliate and flower decoration. Newly professionally upholstered in a creme color performance velvet...
Wood, Paint
Late 18th Century French Directoire Canape Settee Marquis
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful French Directoire marquise with besides the directoire also some Louis XVI style influences visible. Very rare period piece. France, late 18th century. Weathered, small l...
Wood
Beautiful French Walnut Sofa Loveseat
Located in Hopewell, NJ
A fine walnut sleigh style settee or sofa having lovely curves, cabrioile legs, and elegant satiny golden jacard uphostery.
Upholstery, Walnut
Ultra Chic French Directoire Settee Loveseat Bench
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Wonderfully angular fruitwood loveseat with subtle decorative gilding and carving, with windowpane back and freshly upholstered in heavy gauge white duck.
Fruitwood
19th Century French Directoire Canapé
Located in Houston, TX
Unusually shaped French giltwood Directoire canapé or loveseat newly upholstered in oatmeal linen with spaced nailhead trim.